“I promised her a long time ago, that I had gotten rid of a curse, it appears that I simply replaced one with another.”
“So, where is his body, so we can attach his head and figure out what is next?” Mylicous asked as he patted the burlap sac that contained Derium’s head.
“It’s up there,” I pointed into the fog, “A few leaps and we should make it.”
I looked back at Yura and Mylicous who had a look of confusion, then Yura spoke, “We can’t leap as far as you, even in wolf form.”
“I can take smaller leaps, not to worry.”
I took the first leap, the fog was so thick I couldn’t see the mountain side and just about slammed into it. A thick, black sludge had formed on the mountain side, which made it hard to grab onto, I almost slipped off. The sludge was rancid, if I had any nose hairs, they would have been singed off at that point.
“BE CAREFUL!” I yelled down through the fog, only to hear two small grunts, then Mylicous and Yura appeared through the fog and landed next to me. Yura slipped off and I was quick to grab her hand before she fell back down the mountain.
“Thank you!” she mustered out, visibly shaken and then grabbed back on to the rock that she slipped from.
It took three more leaps before I entered the cave that I had hoped to never enter again. I assumed the sun was going down, it was getting darker by the second. Then when we entered the cave, it got pitch black. Mylicous was smart enough to pack a small torch in his belt and lit it. The thick, black sludge was everywhere, and it covered a mound in the back of the cave. That mound was where I left Derium’s body. I was hesitant, but I had come far, so I wanted to finish it. Mylicous took Derium’s head out of the bag and the sludge flowed off his body and to the sides of it. Derium’s body was skin and bones, even the clothes he was wearing appeared to be dried up. Black tendrils grew up from his neck and wriggled about. I looked back at Derium’s head and there were tendrils growing out if it as well. His eyes, blood shot and yellow, were focused on me at first, then shot over to his body.
Mylicous and I walked over to the body, the tendrils picked up in their flopping as we got closer. Mylicous sat the head down about a foot away from the body and the tendrils connected and started pulling the head in. It was almost connected when I acted and put my hand in between the head and neck. I could feel the tendrils go through my fingers and try to pull down anyway.
“What are you doing?” Mylicous asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m going to make him promise something before we do this,” I said.
“He can’t even talk!”
“IIIIII CANNNN!” Derium spoke, I could feel the air passing around my hand as he spoke again, “III PPPRRROOMMISSSEEE ANNYYTHINNNGGG!’
“If we do this, you must not harm us, you must slow down on making others, in fact, you must stop and control the ones out there.”
“IIII WILLL, PLLEEEAASSEE!” he begged, and I finally removed my hand. His head pulled into place, but the wound didn’t heal up all the way, Mylicous and I helped sit him up.
“I’m hungry!’ he said, of course the first words out of his mouth.
“We will take you to get food in a minute,” Mylicous spoke up, “First, an apology is in order, or I’ll remove your head, this time,”
Derium looked at me and in his raspy voice, “I’m..” he cleared his throat, “I’m sorry brother, but I really must feed.”
“We will take you down to get a meal, but mark my words Derium, if you act out or do anything like before, I will end you myself,” Mylicous said. There was something in his voice that told me he was serious. It was then I noticed he was staring at Yura.
“Don’t even think about Derium,” I said.
“I’m sorry, I’m just..so hungry.”
Together, Mylicous and I took Derium down the mountain as Yura followed at a safe distance. It was a bumpy ride, but we got him down safely. He first went for the old gypsy, he sank his fangs in, then jerked back quickly, “Ahhhhhhhh!’ he screamed, “Her blood is bad, she’s been dead too long.”
“Stay here, we will go find you someone,” I said, watching him writhe in pain was saddening. I legitimately felt bad for him, “Better yet, Yura, why don’t you go wit Mylicous and I’ll stay here with him.” I said. I had a feeling the minute I left Yura out of my sight, Derium would attack her.
Mylicous and Yura left and left a torch for me. Derium and I had a staring contest for a minute before he spoke, “I didn’t think you had it in you Roldian, I thought you were going to bluff and let me be, I was wrong.”
“You didn’t go through what I went through, something like that changes you, usually not for the better.”
“I want to move past this, I don’t want to live, knowing that I wasn’t forgiven for what I did to you. I should have done something Roldian, but I couldn’t, you felt her grasp, you know what she was capable of.”
I did know what she capable, she did have a power, but it seemed it was more powerful over Derium than myself, I was able to break away, he had to run away. I put my hand out, he took it and I pulled him up and embraced him. I heard him sniffle and I, myself felt tears
